Chris McDonnell writing in the Catholic Times reminds us that despite the many forms in which the written word can be expressed " it is the spoken word that is our basic currency of exchange." "In our own times, we have been continually reminded by Francis that conversation is important, that listening is part of understanding. That is why within parishes open conversation leads to involvement and pastoral care, one for another. .... we must not give up seeking conversation that is honest and purposeful."

The experience of Corpus Christi in Portugal, still celebrated on Thursday and a state holiday, gets Seamus Ahearne thinking; "The Feast is evocative. The past. The Procession. The dressed-up windows. The Monstrance. The Communion children. That big heavy cope. Relics of old decency. I wonder now what it all meant and means." .... "The feast of Corpus Christi screams at us: Don’t be minimalist in what is celebrated at The Table of Life"

Seamus Ahearne casts an eye on affairs in Ireland from a safe and warm distance. "We are hiding ourselves in the paint of the past. We are ornate museum pieces. And we may be. But the beauty of God is everywhere. The challenge to all of us is to reveal a God of such beauty and wonder. This is daunting. We have to strip off the paint of the ages. Our life is revelation. ........ God still is wonderful and is still taunting us and teasing us and surprising us."

Brian Fahy's memory of an encounter with a lonely lost young Irish woman many years ago makes him reflect that " ‘Priest’ has connotations of someone who presides in liturgy, in religious ceremonies, ...... Whereas, ‘pastor’ ... is someone who cares about people." "Let us help one another to tell our stories and to live."